Nick: We're from the Motor City Crew in Phoenix Airizona.
SC: What is your dancing name?
Nick: Nick
Ken: Kenny rue, they just call me Kenny. Some people call me motion but
Kenny is my name.
SC: Who influenced you all in poppin'?
Ken: My mom and cousin, I used to watch them when I was growing up. I
learned from them. My mom was out of this world. Then I used to watch a
lot of breakin' and watched Boogaloo Shrimp go off.
Nick: My mother and dad used to pop. They influenced me.
SC: Your mom and dad?
Nick: Yeah, they used to battle each other all the time.
SC: Man, that's raw, how did you meet Kenny?
Nick: I used to hang with him, and then he got me in the crew.
SC: How did your crew find out about the B-Boy Summit 4?
NicK: We found out about the B-Boy Summit 4 through the internet.
SC: People think that other states are not into poppin' and
breakin'. But you're here to show that Phonenix Arizona is into this Art
form.
Ken: Phoenix Arizona, they said it's like ganbanging. It's really not,
even the gangbaners pop. They don't really trip like that anymore, as
long as you're form the hood it's alright. If you get that breakin' down
it's cool. It's all about breakin' and poppin'.
SC: You know, I came here on a mission to show people Chicago's
poppin' and breakin'. I'm sure you came here to represent Phoenix Arizona
and to show that Phoenix have some good poppers and
breakers.
Ken: Yeah.
SC: People only talk about New York and California. Not trying to
knock them, but people think these two states are the only ones into
poppin' and breakin' in the USA. I give much props to New York for
creating breakin' and California for creating lockin' and
poppin'.
Ken: People have to understand that they are not the only ones poppin
and breakin. You got to go out there and see for yourself.
SC: What is poppin to you all in Phoenix?
Ken: Hittin' and poppin' your body hard. People be like damn, if you know
how to do it, then you got it.
SC: What are some of the popular moves in Phoenix?
Ken: Popular moves...
SC: I know every state have their own name, and their own
interpretations of poppin'. Like in Chicago we call some moves the S walk
and glides.
Ken: We call it poppin'
SC: I'm talking about the different poppin moves.
Ken: Different moves, some people called the glide the melt. I'm known in
Arizona for that. I'm known everywhere in Arizona. They called it the
melt and the calic is: Have you ever seen Michael Jackson when he floats,
he just like bounces. We named that the calic. And when you move your
body real slow you look like you're melting and then you go down and just
wave.
SC: There are a lot of younger guys into breakin. When I talk to
them about poppin', they say poppin' is harder. What do you think about
that?
Ken: Poppin...
SC: Yeah, It's more characterized.
Ken: It's more characterized. When you pop you got different people who
move differently and have their own style. Breakin, most of them does the
same thing over and over. Flairs and all that. But poppers have
different moves. Some just hit, some hit hard, freeze then pose.
SC: You, your partner, Playboy Eddie and I all (at the b-boy
summit 97 event) went out there to pop. And we all had totally different
styles.
Ken: Everyone had a different style.
SC: That's the distinction between poppin and breakin.
Ken: Everyone is built differently, skinny, chubby, buffy, and fat, you
know. I've been poppin' since I was three years old. I used to watch my
moms pop off anything. Jams like: Slow Jams, R&B, and etc... I'll be at
home just poppin'. If you can pop to slow music then ya got it. With
poppin' you got to feel the beat. Most people is off beat when they
break. When you pop! Pow!! You got to know how to pop with the beat.
So that way it could look crisp and everybody be like, yeah! He did it on
time and that looks nice. When you get a hand clap, that make you feel
good and let you know you can do it.
SC: It's good to pop off different style of music and different
tempo.
Ken: When poppers get out there, People say Damn, I didn't know that the
human body could do all that. People be like, that poppin' is
tight.